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5d ago

U.S. Files First Narco-Terrorism Charges Against Sinaloa Cartel Leaders

The indictment targets Pedro Inzunza Noriega, his son, and five others for running a massive fentanyl trafficking network under a new legal framework treating cartels as terrorist organizations.

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U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi says "the Sinaloa Cartel is a complex, dangerous terrorist organization and dismantling them demands a novel, powerful legal response. Their days of brutalizing the American people without consequence are over — we will seek life in prison for these terrorists.” (BEN CURTIS/AP FILE)

Overview

  • The U.S. Department of Justice unsealed its first-ever narco-terrorism indictment against leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel's Beltrán Leyva faction, including Pedro Inzunza Noriega and his son, Pedro Inzunza Coronel.
  • The defendants are accused of overseeing one of the world's largest fentanyl production and trafficking networks, moving tens of thousands of kilograms of the drug into the United States in recent years.
  • The charges, which include narco-terrorism, material support of terrorism, drug trafficking, and money laundering, follow the cartel's designation as a Foreign Terrorist Organization in February 2025 under an executive order by President Trump.
  • Mexican authorities seized a record 1,500 kilograms of fentanyl in December 2024 from sites controlled by the Inzunzas, marking the largest fentanyl bust in history.
  • This case is the first action by the newly established Narco-Terrorism Unit in the Southern District of California, signaling a strategic shift in prosecuting transnational criminal organizations.